The Depths of Hell
by kmc995
Summary: ***The Mark of Athena SPOILERS!*** "Percy blinked back tears as he drained himself of emotion, steeled himself for their imminent demise." Percy and Annabeth's Journey to Tartarus - will they survive? Can they travel through the depths of hell and make it to the Doors of Death? Read and follow Percy and Annabeth as they face their hardest ordeal yet.
1. Falling

**WARNING! SPOILERS FOR THE MARK OF ATHENA! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

I'm baaaccckkk! Sort of. Since I was slowing moving into a deep depression after I read The Mark of Athena (and realized that agonizing process of waiting a whole year 'till The House of Hades has commenced yet again), I decided to write. Not sure how long this will be, but It will definitely be more than this.

Speaking of writing, I'm not sure that I will be finishing Earth's Warfare...I mean, now that The Mark of Athena is already out, it would sort of be pointless, no? I might just end up making it a one shot of its own - just have it be one of the many possible reunions scenarios out there. Not that it matters now, but you get the point. I can still work with the Prelude, however, and incorporate it into a new story (which may or may not be this one - I'm still in the process of deciding whether or not I want this to be a sort of take on The House of Hades)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Percy Jackson - I ALSO do not take credit for the italicized words at the beginning of this story. Those words were taken from The Mark of Athena, not from my own mind (Pages 567-568).

**Annabeth**

_Annabeth's leg felt like it was pulling free of her boy. Pain washed everything in red. The force of the Underworld tugged at her like dark gravity. She didn't have the strength to fight. She knew she was too far down to be saved._

"_Percy, let me go," she croaked. "You can't pull me up."_

_His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless.  
_

_"Never," he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"_

_Nico's eyes widened. "But-"_

"_Lead them there!" Percy shouted. "Promise me!"_

"_I-I will."_

_Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. _Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.

_Percy tightened his grip on Annabeth's wrist. His face was gaunt, scraped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, but when he locked eyes with her, she thought he had never looked more handsome. _

"_We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."_

_Only then did she understand what would happen. _A one-way trip. A very hard fall.

"_As long as we're together," she said._

_She heard Nico and Hazel still screaming for help. She saw the sunlight far, far above - maybe the last sunlight she would ever see._

_Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness. _(Page 567-568)

**Percy**

Was this it? Was this the end? Percy didn't know. He was falling into the depths of the unknown – the frightening unknown.

The only sense of comfort came from the warm hand in his. They were falling together, he and Annabeth, into the one place that even the gods dare not go. _But at least we're together_, Percy kept reminding himself in his terror. Tartarus isn't necessarily the best place to be with your girlfriend, but considering the facts, he could almost say he was glad not to be alone.

The air pushing against the two demigods as they plummeted gradually got hotter and hotter until the gusts lashed at their skin. Or was it colder? Percy was suddenly reminded of space shuttles reentering Earth's atmosphere.

They were dropping in the darkness; Percy couldn't see a thing. At some points, he thought he saw the angry red eyes of some monster glowing through the walls of black, but since he couldn't even tell if his eyes were closed or open, he decided not to worry too much and chose to believe it was his imagination. Like he could be more troubled than he already was.

Tugging on Annabeth's hand, Percy pulled her closer and blindly wrapped his free arm around her body. They both clung to each other as if they would be ripped apart by the constant onslaught of air. This close, Percy could faintly hear the terrified shrieks of Annabeth – his as well. The sounds were faint, however, compared to the roaring in their ears.

Unable to retain a sense of direction or which way was up, down, left, right, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena fell for what seemed like eternity. Finally, Percy noticed an orange glow – they were _heading_ towards an orange glow.

Conflicted on whether he should be glad for the new change in scenery or alarmed, he watched as the orange glow grew bigger and brighter. Suddenly, it's as if someone turned on a lamp. As dull as it was, Percy had to squint his eyes due to sensitivity to light. _There's the ground…This is Tartarus?...The ground's right there…_His eyes widened as that thought flew to the forefront of his mind. _The ground! Falling! SPLAT!_ How were they supposed to survive this fall, let alone make it to the Doors of Death? Percy panicked and tried to think of something to slow their descent, knowing there was nothing.

He looked at Annabeth who, with wild eyes, came to the same conclusion. They were going to die. All of this had been for nothing. Everyone was going to be killed by Gaea and the whole world doomed because they couldn't even make it to Tartarus alive. They had failed – The Doors of Death were never going to be closed.

Percy blinked back tears as he drained himself of emotion, steeled himself for their imminent demise. The ground coming up faster than ever, Percy quickly kissed Annabeth on the cheek and switched their position, his back now towards the unforgiving ground. He knows she hates it when he tries to protect her, but he needed to do this.

His green eyes met her grey ones for a second.

And then…nothing.


	2. Revived

Hello! I'm back with chappy #2! I've been home sick for the past few days, and have actually had time to write. I wrote 2 new stories yesterday, and decided to write the next part of this :) I'm in a writing mood lately.

I hope you enjoy (or don't - that's entirely up to you :])

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own the Percy Jackson series.

**Percy**

His green eyes met her grey ones for a second.

And then…nothing.

~ooooo~

Piercing wails tore through Percy's mind, dragging him into consciousness. Hisses and whines seemed to wisp through every part of his brain as if a thousand monsters were being tortured inside his head. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and saw nothing but blurred shadows. _Where exactly am I?_ he thought, barely cognizant. Percy had to blink a few times for his vision to sharpen. He listened to the sounds that seemed not to be coming from his surroundings but from his own mind. _Tartarus..?_

He then became aware of his body as the sense of touch and feeling crept back, pushing away the numbness. A warm weight was on his chest and he looked down only to shudder as a wave of pain shot through his skull. With a sharp intake of breath, Percy suddenly felt as if his back was on fire and his head run through with an axe. Spots danced across his vision and he quickly succumbed back into the darkness of before.

~ooooo~

"Percy…Per…Percy!" The sounds made themselves known at the very back of his mind. It took a while for Percy to figure out what they were saying, and even longer to realize that something being said was his name.

As his head swirled with confusion and pain, he again crawled his way back to the light. Pain once again made itself a prominent feeling throughout his body and he groaned long and deep.

"Percy!" someone said, "Percy – oh my gods."

Annabeth.

The fall.

Tartarus.

Memories of before the fall slammed into him and he opened his eyes wide, instinctively balling his fists. "Annabeth?" He waited for his eyesight to clear impatiently as he searched for her eyes.

"Percy, are you hurt?" She was kneeling next to him, looking pale and terrified.

"How are we alive?"

"I...I don't know." _We should have died. There's no way in hell anyone could have survived a fall of that magnitude._ Percy winced at both his bad word choice and the shock that ran through his head again.

Now that he was awake, he felt like utter crap. A sharp throb was beating through his entire body and he had a hard time moving anything. "Annabeth, please tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay I think…" A sniffle. "But Percy – you – blood – I-"

"Please just help me up," he cut her off. Gingerly, he lifted his hand and she grabbed it, pulling him into a sitting position. Stars danced across Percy's vision and he bit his tongue to prevent a yelp from escaping. It felt like he had just gotten into a fight with a ton of bricks. And lost.

Scanning the area, Percy was able to see nothing but…nothing. That's the only way he could describe it; a whole lot of nothing. He flexed his muscles slightly, determining that nothing was broken…surprisingly. Maybe a few bruised ribs. He glanced at Annabeth to gauge her pain and see if she had any injuries. She looked completely fine – well, besides the scrapes and bruises that littered her arms and face.

"How's your ankle?" He could still see remnants of Arachne's web woven around her other calf. The bubble wrap was gone, however, and Annabeth had a weird look on her face. "What?" he asked when he saw her expression.

She looked down at her foot as if it were dangerous and prodded it with her finger. "It's healed – I think." Her eyebrows knitted together and she shook her head.

"How?" he questioned, more to himself than her. _You'd think a fall of however many miles we fell would be enough to at _least_ do more damage than a few black-and-blues._

"I don't know, Percy." she snapped. "I don't know why my foot is better. I don't know why we didn't die! I don't-" She stopped suddenly, closing her eyes and letting out a shaky breath. "Sorry, but it just doesn't make sense." She looked at Percy and he saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears. "It's like the Labyrinth all over again."

Unsure what to say, Percy just averted his eyes. She was right. "Well," he began, "we made it through that. We can make it through this." We _have_ to, is what he didn't say. He figured it would add even more pressure to her. Not that she didn't already know – she was the daughter of Athena after all.

After a few moments of silence, Annabeth spoke up. "We should probably search the area. I don't think we should start moving until we've had some rest." He was exhausted, she was exhausted. Being unconscious isn't the same as sleeping. If anything, it takes up energy rather than supply it.

Agreeing, Percy and Annabeth began the slow, aching process of standing up. Eventually, using each other as support, the two made it to their feet – quite unsteadily Percy noticed. As Annabeth tested out her foot, slowly putting pressure on the supposedly healed limb, Percy looked to where he had been lying. Sure enough, Annabeth's mention of blood was now understood as there was a large pool of dried blood soaked into the ground. He paled looking at it, immediately reaching back to feel his back.

"Is this mine?" he wondered, now touching his scalp after feeling nothing but smooth skin on his backside. Annabeth limped over – not an _I-broke-my-ankle_ kind of limp, either. More like a _sore-unbroken-ankle_ limp. "Yeah." She stated, gulping at the giant stain covering the spot. She brushed her hand down his back, warmth spreading from her touch despite the bruises she pressed in doing so. "Something did this." Her voice was flat, unsure whether to feel grateful or suspicious. Both, probably.

"Something helped us." Percy added.

Annabeth seemed to think otherwise. "We don't know if they did this to help." She looked out towards the horizon. "We're in Tartarus, Percy. The deepest, evilest part of Hell. If we're alive, it's because Gaea wanted us alive. We're in her domain now." Her grey eyes, unnaturally dark, were suddenly locked onto Percy's. "She has us right where she wants us."

Knowing she was right, Percy held her stare. "We have to try."

She did something then that shocked Percy. She smiled. It wasn't grand, but the corners of her lips twitched upwards. She held out her hand and he placed his in it. The contact was more than enough for the two demigods, who refused to abandon hope. What's this compared to all the other trials and adventures the two have survived?

"I know," she whispered, tightening her hold on his hand. "I know."


	3. Arachne

Eh-yo fellow Percy Jackson enthusiasts! What's this - an update? FINALLY! Read and review please :D

**Disclaimer:** If you think I'm Rick Riordan, you've got some serious issues my friend. I DO NOT own Percy Jackson.

**Percy**

Knowing she was right, Percy held her stare. "We have to try."

She did something then that shocked Percy. She smiled. It wasn't grand, but the corners of her lips twitched upwards. She held out her hand and he placed his in it. The contact was more than enough for the two demigods, who refused to abandon hope. What's this compared to all the other trials and adventures the two have survived?

"I know," she whispered, tightening her hold on his hand. "I know."

~ooooo~

**Annabeth**

After finding nothing in the surrounding area, Annabeth walked back to their makeshift camp. Her ankle was hurting less and less, though she tried not to feel too grateful. _Beware strangers bearing gifts_. It's the timeless motto of the Trojan War, and quite sound advice. Who was it that got slaughtered in their sleep? The Trojans. Why? Because they didn't question their gift from the Greeks. And in this world? Everything comes at a price – especially magic.

She and Percy are stuck in this damned pit, with no provisions, and no contact with the outside world. They were bruised and sore and tired, and absolutely clueless as to where to start looking for the Doors. It's not like they could stop by a mini mart and ask the next monster for directions.

Speaking of monsters…"Hey, Percy." He looked up from where he was studying his sword. "Have you noticed that there seems to be a lack of—"

"Monsters?" he interrupted, "Yeah. I noticed." He didn't sound too happy about it. "Do you think they know we're here yet?"

"They know we're here."

The look on his face seemed to get even more unhappy. "It's the Doors." It wasn't a question. He looked far into the distance as if he could see them.

"That'd be my guess," unfortunately. The Doors of Death were open, and Gaea was gathering her army. That doesn't mean that there isn't a truckload of evil down here though.

Annabeth sat down hard next to Percy. He reached over and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing tight. They both sat there for a few long minutes, not saying a word. Annabeth wondered what to do – how to survive the night in a place like this. They had no shelter, they were inexperienced in the fine art of Tartarus-camping, and to be completely honest, scared out of their minds.

"Hey, Percy," Annabeth said again, fiddling with his thumb, "when you and the others came crashing in…" she paused, and then reworded her question. "How did you know where to find me?"

She glanced up at Percy. He smiled and leaned in, as if to reveal some big secret.

"My spidey senses were tingling."

Annabeth barked out a laugh. "Shut up!" she bumped his shoulder with hers. "I'm serious." She probably didn't sound very serious though, choking back laughter with a huge grin plastered across her face. It was wonderful knowing that Percy's dumb sense of humor wasn't affected in the slightest despite their current predicament.

He leaned against her side and sobered down a bit. "Diony—Bacchus, whatever, told me."

"He did?" Gods – especially wine gods – didn't usually give away knowledge for free…

"Yeah." He sighed and described the encounter with Ephialtes and Otis, the giant twins who are the 'anti-wine god'. "He told me to find the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building."

Annabeth looked surprised. "You mean the _Altare della Patria_?"

Percy gave her a blank stare.

"It means 'Alter of the Fatherland.'"

Another blank stare. "I guess," he conceded, rolling his eyes in a way that clearly said "you _would_ know that."

"Never mind, Seaweed Brain."

_So, _that's_ where the statue was?_ Ironic how the Athena Parthenos, a statue destined to unite Greeks and Romans, was hidden under a monument dedicated to Victor Emmanuel, a king who united all of Italy in the nineteenth century.

Annabeth shook her head and sighed. "How did you know I was alive?"

Percy stiffened, his hold on her hand tightening. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he wasn't quite sure how to answer her. "I guess I just…I don't know, Ephialtes told me you were alive, but…I could just _tell_ you weren't dead." He brought his other hand over and cupped her hand between both of his. "I mean, you're Annabeth," he smiled shyly. "Annabeth never loses."

She held his eyes. Her boyfriend's trust in her was overwhelming – it touched her heart. She placed her free hand on his cheek and gently pulled him down for a kiss. His lips were still soft, and they still tasted vaguely of salt. He still smelled like Percy. She didn't know what she expected, but she just felt like everything would be different down here. It wasn't, though, and for that she was glad.

This entire time, Annabeth had felt like she'd failed Jason and Piper and Leo, Hazel, Frank, _everyone_, and that this was her punishment and she'd dragged her boyfriend down with her. But Percy, sweet, understanding Percy, didn't accuse her of failure. He believed that they still had a chance to turn this thing around.

So, she kissed him, her lips lingering on his because she didn't want this one moment of peace to end. "You're the best boyfriend in the world, Percy Jackson," she mumbled against his lips. He smiled. Just as he was about to kiss her again, a hissing laugh sounded through the area. _Rip-rip-rip_.

They tore apart and stood up fast, both drawing their weapons – well, Percy drew Riptide while Annabeth drew a semi-straight pole that must have come from the pipework under the parking lot Percy and the others destroyed. It was a good two-and-a-half feet long and just thick enough where she could wrap her hands around it comfortably. It was the only thing she could find since her dagger went missing. She wished it would just reappear in her pocket like Percy's sword.

They stood back to back, looking for the source of the violent _rips_, though Annabeth, with a sinking feeling, already knew who it came from. "Percy," she whispered urgently, her throat closing with terror, "It's—"

"Oh, don't stop on my account. I could have captured the moment quite nicely, had I my thread."

Arachne.

They both whipped around and faced her. Annabeth mentally berated herself for not just letting her guard down, but letting her guard down in _Tartarus_, of all places. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_.

"I'm glad you could join me, _daughter of Athena_. And you brought a friend!" She hissed. She was even uglier than she was before, with a few legs bent upwards at odd angles and green goo dripping out of gashes that were strewn all over her body. The goo on the red hourglass on the underside of her abdomen made it look like there was actual green sand in it. "I told you I excel at pulling strings!"

Annabeth tried not to scream. She hates spiders – she's terrified of them. And yet she constantly finds herself dealing with the Queen of Arachnids herself. Only difference between now and then: then, she could die. Now? She was already dead. Technically, they all were.

Not to mention that before she had a _blade_ and not some stupid pole with blunt edges.

Annabeth was snapped out of her horror as Percy not-so-subtly edged in front of her, putting himself between her and Arachne. She had almost forgotten he was there in her panic. She may not have a sword, but at least she has Percy.

"Now, you're going to pay for tricking me!"

And she lunged towards them.


	4. On Their Way

Whoa - _another_ update? Within 24 hours of the last one? haha that _never_happens! Don't get used to it though :) I only write when I have the time, and this weekend I did :D

Anyways, I think the first 3/4's came out ok, but I'm not too crazy about the ending. I can't tell if I went too overboard on the sappiness or if I made Annabeth too OOC...feedback would be appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Percy Jackson

**Annabeth**

Annabeth was snapped out of her horror as Percy not-so-subtly edged in front of her, putting himself between her and Arachne. She had almost forgotten he was there in her panic. She may not have a sword, but at least she has Percy.

"Now, you're going to pay for tricking me!"

And she lunged towards them.

~ooooo~

**Percy**

Spider-lady was surprisingly nimble for an ugly monster with only about half of her legs in working condition. And boy was she _ugly_.

She had a huge spider's backend, to put it nicely, and the green goop dripping out of her looked like snot, which was even grosser. Her face was a grotesque hybrid of woman and spider.

But other than a few gooey cuts and broken legs, Arachne looked pretty good for a spider who had fallen billions of miles into a dark pit.

Gosh, that sounded really weird.

And here she was, barreling towards the two demigods, needle-like teeth showcased between snarling lips and pinching mandibles.

Had he mentioned how ugly she was? It's easy to see why children of Athena would be scared of her and her offspring. He doesn't think he'll ever tease Annabeth for it again.

Arachne leaped towards them, jabbing one of her legs at Percy as if to stab him through the gut. He reeled backwards, narrowly avoiding becoming a shish-kabob on her thorny leg. He slashed at it with Riptide but before it could make contact Arachne swiped one of her other legs behind his knees and his feet were yanked out from under him.

He yelped and grunted as his back slammed into the ground, momentarily seeing stars as his head collided with solid earth. He rolled to the side, expecting Arachne to take advantage of his weakness. He wasn't disappointed. She clamped her pincers around his calf, yanking him towards her with unnatural ease. He yelled in pain. A second later, however, the grip on his leg was gone as Arachne hissed and stumbled away from Percy.

He scrambled to his feet and saw Annabeth whacking Arachne with her pole – blocking her angry swipes with it as if it were a sword. She grunted with the effort of each swing, and she was slowly being pushed back as Arachne got the upper hand.

Annabeth was an awesome fighter – she really was. One of the best, actually. But she was trained with close-combat weapons like her dagger, and Percy can tell by her stance that using the long pole she had was awkward. She was rusty with a sword where she was practiced with a knife, and right now, seeing her struggle, Percy grew extremely nervous.

Not to mention that the pole wasn't made of Celestial Bronze so it really couldn't do much damage, let alone kill any monster…

Ignoring his bleeding calf, he lunged towards Arachne and sliced one of her legs off, green gunk splattering him, just as she knocked the pole from Annabeth's hands. She roared in pain and turned towards him. "How _dare_ you," she spat, which sort of shocked Percy because he had almost forgotten that she wasn't just some mindless monster.

Annabeth used the distraction to pick her weapon back up and jump onto her back. With a look of utter disgust on her face, she jabbed the pole straight into one of the larger gashes on her back, jamming it in as far as she could as the spider-lady jerked and fell off balance, whimpering in pain. The movement threw Annabeth off and she fell from the creature as gracefully as she could, receiving a nasty gash on her shin. "Percy, now!" she yelled.

He took his cue and hacked away at her other leg but the blade got caught between the hard hair-spikes running down it. He cursed loudly as she pulled the sword from his hands and lunged towards him, pincers snapping at his face. The snot-like goo oozing from the cuts on her underside dripped onto Percy, who was now pinned beneath the creature's bulk, irritating his skin through his clothes. If he wasn't so intent on protecting his head, he would have gagged with the retched stench that seemed to seep from her skin. When was the last time she brushed her teeth?

Annabeth chucked the pole, which had dislodged itself from her back, at Arachne's head. It poked her in one of her four black eyes. She reared up to caress it, screaming in what sounded more like frustration than pain. "That was my eye!" she shrieked, as if the hit had been unfair. He was about to make some snarky comment about how he wished _he_ could be poked in the eye just so he wouldn't have to look at her foul face when she shifted her leg and the spikes along it stabbed into his side. He didn't even have time to register the pain when Arachne swiped at his chest growling, "Time to watch your friend die, Athena_ spawn_!"

He saw her leg come down, sharp as a knife. It seemed as if everything were moving in slow motion. He closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable.

Only, it didn't come.

A piercing wail escaped Arachne as a blade – _his_ blade – tore through her abdomen. More gunk splattered over his upper half and he closed his eyes and mouth tight to prevent the stuff from getting in them. She burst into gold dust which showered over him gently.

Annabeth stood next to him, looking like a battle-goddess holding his sword out in front of her. She killed Arachne. She saved him.

The fierce expression on her face faded as she locked eyes with Percy, who was staring at her quite reverently.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" he said. She blushed.

She placed Riptide on the ground and knelt next to Percy to help him up. Now that the battle was over and his adrenaline rush was fading, he could feel the pain on his calf and side burn through him. He breathed through his teeth as he sat up and touched his side. When he removed his hand, it was covered in blood.

"Gods, Percy!" Annabeth paled. She lifted the side of his shirt carefully and examined the wound. She touched the gash and Percy inhaled sharply, swallowing the groan that tried to escape. "Sorry," she whispered. She sounded unsure when she said, "It doesn't look too deep, but we need to stop the bleeding."

Percy nodded. Luckily, Annabeth wore a jacket which she promptly took off and scrunched into a ball, pressing it against the wound. Instinctively, his hand shot to protect his side, which now ended up on top of Annabeth's. Together, they sat and put pressure against the area, waiting for it to cease bleeding.

Gods, he wished they had ambrosia. As the bleeding finally slowed, Percy removed his hand and examined the calf where spider-lady had bit him. He hoped she wasn't poisonous.

Annabeth continued to hold the fabric against him. A few minutes later, when she lifted it away and saw that the bleeding had stopped, she helped him off the ground. She finally got a good look at him and crinkled her nose.

"What?" he said.

"You're covered in spider guts and gold dust."

He looked down at his clothes and shrugged. It's not like he could change.

"Gross." He looked at her, and smiled maliciously. "I think the mighty Arachne-slayer deserves a hug, don't you?"

She squinted angrily at him. "You wouldn't—"

Too late. Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth and pulled her flush against him, ignoring the twinge of pain it caused. She struggled for a moment, but, to his surprise, she stilled, wrapped her arms around his back – gently, so as not to aggravate his injury – and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He put all of his weight on his good leg as he held her, feeling her silent tears roll down the collar of his T-shirt.

It must have been terrifying for her to face Arachne, her greatest fear. And Annabeth wasn't afraid of much, so it was a big deal. Plus, he could count the number of times he has openly seen her cry on one hand in the six – seven? – years he's known her. With everything going on, he didn't blame her. He knew he couldn't really say anything useful, so he just focused on rubbing her back softly.

Her tears stopped quickly, and she pulled away slightly. Without saying a word, she wiped his cheek with the back of her hand, removing some of the gunk, and kissed it. It was a silent gesture that said, "thank you."

"We'd better get moving," she said, steady and strong. Her moment of weakness (if you could even call it that) was over, and she was determined to focus on the mission at hand. "We don't know when Arachne will reappear and it's best if we are far away from here when she does."

Percy nodded. Annabeth picked up his sword and handed it to him. Recapping it, he slid the pen in his pocket.

And then they were on their way.


End file.
